


The Ring

by HogarPlinth



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Mystery, Not a Christmas story, Romance, much angst, set at christmas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:34:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28194069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HogarPlinth/pseuds/HogarPlinth
Summary: Laura has bought Carmilla what she thinks is the ideal Christmas present. She found the ring in a strange little shop tucked away on an out of the way side street. She is totally unprepared for the effect it has on the vampire
Relationships: Laura Hollis/Carmilla Karnstein
Kudos: 11





	The Ring

**The Ring**

The early morning light has just begun to filter through the curtains brightening the room. Laura opens her eyes and smiles; it was Christmas morning. It had been Christmas morning the previous two times she had woken, but it had still been dark, and she had reluctantly gone back to sleep.

Laura reaches under the bed and picks up the small parcel she secreted there last night. It is tightly wrapped in bright yellow paper and secured with a red ribbon. She leans over and kisses Carmilla “Merry Christmas”.

“What is it?”

“A surprise! Open it. Open it” Laura watches excitedly as Carmilla pulls at the ribbon. She hopes that Carm will like the ring. She had searched all over the city until she found that odd little shop tucked away in a side street. The ring looked gorgeous and the shop owner assured her it was antique. Even if it weren’t a genuine antique, Laura loved how it caught the light and decided then that it would be an ideal gift for Carmilla.

Carmilla puts the ribbon aside and slowly unfolds the wrapping paper. Seeing the expectant look on Laura’s face, she slowly folds the paper up before examining the small box.

“You got me a box! Thank you, cupcake” she leans over and kisses Laura.

Laura slaps her playfully on the arm. “Open the box Carm”

Carmilla flips open the box lid to reveal the ring. The ring almost glows in the box and when Carmilla picks it up the ring appears iridescent in the early morning sunshine. It has bands of color that weave over one another around the edge of the ring.

“It’s beautiful, Cutie. Thank you” She kisses Laura again.

She holds up her hand and wriggles her fingers before deciding which one the ring will fit best before sliding it on. As she lets go of the ring to admire it a sharp stabbing pain jolts up her arm followed by a burning sensation that crawls up her hand and onto her wrist. She screams in agony and grabs for the ring but recoils when she touches it and can’t pull it off.

The instant she hears Carmilla cry out Laura reaches over and holds Carmilla’s shoulders. “Carm, what is it? Can I help?”

“The ring, get it off me” Carmilla says through the pain of the burning sensation that has now reached her upper arm. She stares at her hand expecting it to be burned but it looks unburnt. Laura reaches out and takes hold of the ring, as she touches the metal a wave of pain washes over her causing her to scream and recoil away from Carmilla and collapse on the bed.

Laura sits up to see that Carmilla has flopped back on the bed and has flung her arm out to one side as if to keep the ring as far away from the rest of her body as she can. Her eyes are wide open and staring and apart from a slight twitch she is not moving.

Laura crawls across the bed and tries shake Carmilla by the shoulders into a response but there isn’t one. “Carm!”

Laura’s tears fall from her face onto Carmilla’s face as she shakes Carmilla “Carm”

Laura’s sobbing overtakes her “Carm”

“Carm”

Laura collapses on top of Carmilla weeping uncontrollably.

“Mike” Carmilla whispers into Laura’s ear.

“Carm?”

“Mike” she whispers again.

Laura is jolted into sitting up “Mike, of course”.

She looks for Carmilla’s mobile phone before picking it up and trying to open the phone app.

“No, the bar” Carmilla whispers “go to the bar”

Laura gets off the bed, kisses Carmilla. “OK Come one, you’re going to have to help me here”

Then Laura almost drags her off the bed before she gets her shoulder underneath Carmilla and staggers them both out of the bedroom. Quickly Laura plops Carmilla down in one of the kitchen chairs putting a gentle hand on her face feeling the shivering of Carmilla’s inner struggle.

“I’ll only be a second, I’m just getting our coats and the car keys” Laura dashes off across the apartment and comes running back trying to wrestle her arm into a coat over her pajamas and holding a second coat at the same time. She knells down beside Carmilla and wraps a coat around her shoulders before ramming her other arm into her own coat sleeve.

“Babe it’s..” Laura’s voice catches in the throat as she looks at Carmilla siting there shaking and mumbling incoherently. “we’re going now”.

Laura squats down and drags Carmilla off the chair and onto her shoulder and then begins to walk the two of them towards the door. At the door after fumbling the latch Laura reaches down and picks up a pair of boots and then leads Carmilla out of the apartment.

The trip to the apartment block’s parking lot is normally so quick as to be completely forgettable, this time Laura notices every yard she walks and every step she has to coax Carmilla to take. After what feels like an age Laura reaches her car and stops by the passenger door, drops her boots, and locates the key fob to unlock the door.

Laura rips open the door and forces Carmilla’s stiff body into the passenger seat and strapping her in before picking up the boots and rushing around to the driver’s side. Before getting into her seat, she stamps her feet into the boots. After getting into the car, she looks over at Carmilla and the dries her eyes before starting the car.

The drive to the bar is a blur to Laura, it is two corners before the remembers to turn on the car lights. She keeps looking to her right to check on Carmilla who is lolling in her seat shivering and shaking. Fortunately for her there is little traffic, or traffic cops, at this of the morning.

“We’re almost there, hang on, please hang on” she chants to Carmilla but also to reassure herself.

When she reaches the bar, she brings the car to a screeching halt outside the bar, rips the keys out and rushes up to the door. She bangs on the door and bellows Mike’s name.

“MIKE” she shouts again banging the door again as hard as she can. Tears streaming down her face as there is no reply.

“Mike please” she calls out again through her tears.

The door cracks open and Mike pokes his face out.

“what?”

“Mike, thank god. Its Carmilla, I need your help”

“Bring her inside” he says before vanishing back into the bar.

Laura huffs to herself as she stares at the door for a second before rushing back to the car and grapples Carmilla out of the car and she staggers the two of them into the bar just about holding Carmilla up.

Once Carmilla is through the door, Mike takes her from Laura and carries her to the nearest booth and lays her on the leather seat. He gently brushes her hair away from her face before turning to Laura.

“What happened to her?”

Laura tries to explain but the words just tumble out. “the ring, Carmilla’s pain, help, something wrong, the ring, help, she’s dying, the ring”

“Laura, slowly, please for Carmilla”

“the ring. When she put on the ring all this started, it’s all my fault” Laura breaks down in tears again “it’s all my fault!” She collapses on to the floor. “It’s all my fault”

“No, it’s not Laura” Mike tries to calm her. “we’ll fix this. I’ve got some things I can try. It’s going to be OK Laura. Hang in there for a second I’ll be right back” Mike stands and hurries away into his office. Laura crawls over to where Carmilla is lying in the booth and takes hold on one of her hands. Laura looks down the length of the bar waiting for Mike to return. The shadows that normally darken the back of the bar have retreated to the furthest corners of the bar as if afraid of something.

Mike returns with a small black case like an old-fashioned doctor’s bag. He puts the bag down and opens it and takes out a small silver flask with a gold crucifix on one side.

“OK, let’s try the basics. Laura is this the ring?” he asks taking hold of Carmilla’s other hand. 

Laura nods. 

Mike takes a tight grip on Carmilla’s wrist and reaches for the ring. He jerks his fingers back as he touches the ring.

“Ouch, that bites” he glances at Laura. “Laura, I’m going into try Holy Water next. I won’t get any on Carmilla. OK Laura?”. Laura just stares at him, as she strokes Carmilla’s hand.

He picks up the silver flask and a small cloth. He lets a drop of liquid fall onto the cloth and reseals the flask. Taking the cloth, he rubs it on the ring. The effect on Carmilla is instant, she writhes as if in agony and cries out. 

Laura lets go of Carmilla’s hand as she jerks and writhes. “Mike, what’s happening?”

“It’s whatever is bound to the ring I t’s reacting to the Holy Water, I’ve not hurt Carmilla. Look she’s fighting it.”

They watch as Carmilla changes between her human, vampire, and panther forms but still the ring is always attached to her finger. Carmilla changes back to her vampire form and snarls at Mike and Laura through her fangs. She then collapses back onto the seat.

Mike reaches into his bag and draws out a small vial of red liquid and uncorks it. He leans over Camilla and takes hold of her jaw with one hand, opens her mouth, and tips the contents of the vial into her mouth.

“Drink this Carmilla, it’s blood!”

Carmilla swallows the blood and seem invigorated, she opens her eyes and looks at Mike and Laura. 

“Help me” she calls out before the shivering takes over again and her eyes close.

“Laura, when did she last feed?”

Laura frowns as she tries to remember “I don’t know, yesterday or the day before. Will feeding help her?”

“I think so, look at the effect a few drops had”

Laura rolls up her sleeve and thrust her arm towards Carmilla’s mouth. Carmilla’s eyes open and seeing what Laura is about to do shakes her head and cries out “No”

“Mike, hold her head still” Laura commands.

“Laura, are you sure?”

“We have to make her stronger, it’s the only way she can fight this thing”

“This is not the way”

“Do you have any more blood in that bag?”

“No”

“Then this is the only way. Hold her head and open her mouth again”

Mike takes hold of Carmilla again, holding her jaw gently he opens her mouth. Carmilla shakes her head and looks at Laura with tears in her eyes.

“I’m sorry Carm, but this is the only way to help you, I love you”

Laura tries again and forces her wrist into Carmella’s mouth and onto her fangs. She cries out in pain as the fangs pierce her flesh and she feels her blood drip from her wrist and into Carmilla’s mouth. Carmilla swallows once, a second time and then begins to feed on Laura’s wrist sucking heartily. Laura cries out again but does not withdraw her arm. Camilla keeps feeding until Laura faints and collapses on the floor. 

“CARMILLA” Mike shouts at the vampire.

Carmilla snarls and sits up, letting Laura’s arm drop from her mouth, wipes the blood from her face and looks around the bar as if seeing it for the first time and then focuses on Mike.

“it’s some kind of demon. I’ve got it under control” then she jerks as a spasm shakes her head from side to side before stopping. “well almost! Holy water?”

Mike nods and holds up a flask.

“Ready” Mike nods again and unplugs the stopper.

Carmilla tenses up, the tendons in her neck standing out, she grips the table and the edge of the seat. She jerks forward her mouth open wide and something yellow, writhing, and continually changing structure and form is projected to the floor in front of her. It’s impossible to determine its shape as it creates limbs that reach out and then collapse back before reforming elsewhere on its body. “Now” she barks roughly at Mike.

Mike tips the holy water onto the demon’s central mass and they watch as it burns and dissolves until all that is left is a small puddle of steaming yellow liquid.

The ring falls from Carmilla’s finger and rattles on the floor hissing gently when is touches a drop of holy water.

Carmilla looks to one side and sees Laura’s body still very pale and unmoving beside her. There are two small trickles of blood drying on Laura’s wrist.

Carmilla crawls over and picks up Laura and holds her tightly, Laura’s arms flop lifelessly and her head tips back.

“No, cupcake NO” she sobs. She turns to look at Mike anger in her eyes

“Why did you let her do this?” Tears stream down her face. “Why?”

“She insisted, you would have died otherwise, that thing would have killed you”

“Death would be better than losing her” Carmilla sobs her body heaving and jerking as she cries, her tears falling on to Laura’s body.

Mike stands next to Carmilla helplessly. He tries to reach out to Carmilla, but she jerks away from him. The only sound in the bar is Carmilla weeping.

Laura coughs quietly

Mike and Carmilla freeze

“Quickly lay her down, make her more comfortable” Carmilla places Laura’s body gently on the floor, Mike puts a stack of bar cloths under her head as a makeshift pillow.

Laura’s eyes open and she smiles weakly as she looks at Carmilla and reaches up to touch her face.

“I thought I’d lost you” Carmilla dries some of her tears. “Don’t ever do something like that again, cupcake. Merry Christmas”


End file.
